Diff between .223 and 5.45

what differances are there between the .223 and 5.45 Saiga rifles? from what i have been hearing on this site is that you can shoot the 5.45 round out of the .223 rifle without any issue...has anyone shot 5.45 out of their .223 Saiga with any good or bad results?

Yeah ... uh 5.45 won't even chamber in a Saiga 223. The round is completely different. 5.56 on the other hand will chamber and will fire safely. Actually I wish they had never stamped "223" on the friggin' things. I think it is more appropriate to say that the IZ-110 and IZ-114 are both chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, but you can shoot Remington .223 in them. As opposed to the other way around.

i apologize, in my haste i typed 5.45, but i ment to say 5.56, damn metric system!. Has anyone had any good or bad accuracy experiance with shooting 5.56 out of their guns? i seem to remember one poster stating his accuarcy suffered shooting 5.56 out of his .223?

Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade.[9] Using 5.56mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and the SAAMI recommends against the practice.[10][11] Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14, but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56mm NATO ammunition.[12]

I've been told that the only difference are the interior case dimensions (capacity caused by wall thickness). I've reloaded both with the same dies and noticed no negligible difference.

"It isn't always being fast or even accurate that counts, it's being willing. I found out early that most men regardless of cause or need aren't willing. They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger and I won't." - The Shootist (John Wayne)